After Solomon departed from the LORD by building altars for other gods, the prophet Ahijah was sent to him and told him that God would take ten tribes from the kingdom during his son’s reign and give them to his servant Jeroboam, leaving only one tribe (Benjamin) with the house of David to rule. After Solomon died, Rehoboam, his son, inherited his throne. Then the LORD took away ten of the twelve tribes from the house of David and placed them under the tribe of Ephraim, as He had told Solomon . From that time, the House of Israel was an independent kingdom from Judah.

Moreover, when God placed Jeroboam over the House of Israel, He gave him promises like those He had given to David. However, the promises were conditional. God told Jeroboam that if he followed all that was commanded and walked in the ways of the Lord righteously as David had, then all the promises given him would be fulfilled.

Jerusalem Against the High Places

Notwithstanding, even though Israel and Judah were divided, the House of the LORD remained in Jerusalem, and the people of Judah and Israel were required to gather in Jerusalem three times a year: in spring for Passover, 50 days later for Shavuot, and in the fall for Sukkot.

Then, Jeroboam, fearing the pilgrimages to Jerusalem would diminish his power, said in his heart, “Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David.” (1 Kings 12:26) He trusted not in the promises God made to him.

Therefore, he set up high places in Israel to keep worshipers from going to Jerusalem. And he made two golden calves and placed one in Bethel and the other in the city of Dan. And he said to Israel, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” And he turned Israel away from worshiping the LORD to serve the gods he made.

The reason he crafted two calves and placed them in two distinct locations was politically motivated, and the design was for convenience. Jeroboam designed his religion to be inclusive, appealing to the diverse lifestyles and moral standards of the regions.

Bethel was chosen for its proximity to Jerusalem. Being closer to the temple, the people of Bethel shared more in common with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, both culturally and morally. Bethel means “House of God”; politically speaking, today, Bethel would be considered “conservative.” It would serve as an alternative to the temple in Jerusalem.

To the contrary, the city of Dan was located about 104 miles from Jerusalem, almost as far away as it could possibly be while remaining within the boundaries of Israel. In the book of Judges, we read that the city of Dan was previously named Laish. It was a place of unwalled cities where the people were carefree, morally deficient, and self-willed. Dan conquered Laish and renamed it Dan.

However, the Danites mingled with the people, embraced their lascivious ways, and worshipped their gods. Dan today is represented by liberal-minded philosophies. Everyone does that which is right in their own eyes. Spiritually, neither Bethel nor Dan is an acceptable place to worship God.

The True Place of Worship

The high places of worship in Bethel and Dan were not only places erected to worship strange gods, but some of the places were erected in the name of the LORD. However, the offerings made in the name of the LORD were not performed in accordance with God’s law in Jerusalem.

Likewise, today, many Christians worship in a place they have constructed. They believe they are right with the Lord but are being deceived by a false image of God that they were taught or have created in their imagination. Such are they who worship in high-minded places that imitate the true, but they are not the spirit of the true, and they do not align with the scriptures.

Unless we constantly seek God in prayer and know his word, false constructs of Christianity can be believed when in reality they present a false image of God and Christ.

While altars made of cut stones fit together nicely, God commanded in the Bible that man is not to lay a tool upon the stones used to build an altar to the LORD. All of God’s words are as stones. We are to accept them exactly as they are. They are not to be modified. Only the unchanged word of God is acceptable for building an altar before Him.

If agendas, ideologies, or politics serve as the foundation of righteousness, then the choice of high places will be either Bethel, Dan, or one of the various locations somewhere in between.

Every religion not founded upon the word of God is a false god, even when it uses the Bible. Out of context, even the Bible is a false god. Do not hew doctrinal stones to make them fit your beliefs.

The only acceptable place for worshiping and offering sacrifices is upon the Rock, Jesus Christ. Jesus told the woman at the well, “Woman, believe me, the hour comes when you shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father… for the hour comes, and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

Most surely, for the child of God, Spirit and Truth is the spiritual Jerusalem within, the Holy City, the place the LORD has chosen to place His name to be worshiped.